News From Mother Jones: October 8

Hello TreeHugger readers, and welcome to the first weekly roundup of environmental news from Mother Jones.

Members of the US Chamber of Commerce are not happy about the organization's hard-line climate policy, to say the least: Nike, and Apple, and three major electric utilities have all defected in the past two weeks. According to the Chamber's rules, its policies and positions are supposed to be approved or rejected by its board of directors. But insiders say the board never formally endorsed its climate stance. What gives? Josh Harkinson has the scoop here.

Next on the docket, a scummy story: You've likely heard the buzz around algae--it's been touted as one of the most promising biofuel sources out there. But the pond-muck industry has a slimy secret: Some companies have promised impossible amounts of energy based on speculation, raising millions from unwitting investors.

Over at the Blue Marble, our environment, health, and science blog: It's onward and upward for the "Solar Roadmap" bill. In nonrenewable energy news, the Supreme Court lets deep-water drilling companies get away without paying hundreds of billions of dollars in royalties to the Department of the Interior. Meanwhile, the Sierra Club slams coal AND makes fun of grimy college kids, all in one kinda clever swoop: Its new video series, aimed at the nation's 60 remaining coal-powered colleges, calls coal "too dirty, even for college."